Welcome to Reality
by Eboni Black
Summary: Sakura's life was normal, boring, and repetitive. One day she witnesses a murder. Her entire world changes as she is suddenly thrust into a world where somebody wants her dead... SxS Violence, Future Lemon, Coarse Language.
1. Chapter 1

A/N Hahahah…so I've decided to try my hand at this as well. I've written a few Card Captor Sakura stories in the past….but I wanna see how I do in comparison now….^_^

Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captors, I hold no ownership. I'm simply a minion who uses them for my own perverse pleasure. I make no money off of this…I repeat. I make no money from this.

Warnings: SXS, EXT. I don't know what other characters will be here later. Future Lemon, violence, coarse language, murder.

Summary: Sakura was your average everyday university student, studying hard, trying to build a life. One day that's all thrown upside down as she's thrust into a world full of violence, police, and death.

Enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Staring back at herself through the mirror in the rather depressing bathroom, Sakura wondered how her life had changed so drastically. It had been such a normal day, everything was like usual, full of repetition and boredom. The light flickered with a dull 'clicking' noise and she fought back an irritated sigh. She had no one to blame for this mess but herself, cursing her luck she thought over the day's events.

She had gotten up, dressed, and ate breakfast like every other morning. She went to school, attended classes, hung out with her friends, and studied. Nothing was different. At the age of 19 she had a bright future; intelligent, wealthy, and driven. Determined not to sit around on her money like most other rich people, she aspired to make a difference in the world. She didn't quite know what that was right now, but she was determined to help people. Her friends always told her that she was a modern day Mother Theresa, her kind heart and warm smile gracing every being of the planet, regardless of race, gender, social status, and age.

She sighed and pulled back from the mirror, wondering if she looked any different from that morning. She shook out her waist length auburn hair and watched as it curled slightly back around her form. She expected to see something changed about her, but instead she was the same petite 5'4" with slim shoulders, a flat stomach, slightly rounded breasts and wide hips. Turning slightly she stared at her face in the mirror, her emerald eyes gazed back at her, taking in her high cheek bones and heart shaped face, with a slightly upturned nose and delicate eyebrows, she sighed again. She didn't seem any different, but she felt like a completely new person.

*flashback*

She had been on her way home, eager to curl up on her couch with a steaming cup of warm tea, when she had crossed the mouth to an alleyway. She didn't know what had possessed her to do so, but she had decided to investigate the narrow gap between buildings. She hadn't sensed that anything was wrong until she nearly stumbled across a confrontation between a man and a woman. Barely catching herself she had hid behind one of the dumpsters, peeking around the corner to watch the events unfold before her.

She should have turned and walked away right then, instead of standing there like an idiot, watching something that really was none of her business. But she could see that the woman was in trouble, and before intervening, Sakura had waited to see exactly what was going on.

"I don't see why we're still standing here," the woman had stared the slightly taller man in the eye, showing no fear; "You're going to kill me anyways, so just get on with it."

"The boss wants to know how much info you gathered," he had sneered at the woman, which caused a shudder to ripple up Sakura's spine as a feeling of dread gathered in the pit of her belly. "So slut, how much do you know? And how much did you tell them stinkin' police before we caught ya?"

"I told you Marcus, you won't get anything from me. So I repeat. Why. Are. We. Still. Standing. Here?" The woman looked worn down, as if this was the end, which it was soon to be.

Before Sakura could react, the burly looking man had pulled a gun and shot the woman standing defiantly before him. Watching her lifeless body fall to the ground in a heap, Sakura couldn't contain the horrified squeak that worked its way past her lips before she could stifle it.

Stiffening in terror, she covered her mouth as the man before her looked sharply in her direction, "Who's there?" after getting no response, "Come out and play, whoever you are." Walking stealthily forward, his hand tightly gripping his gun, he searched the space around him, looking for whoever had made the noise that had alerted him to the fact that he wasn't alone.

Trying hard not to make a sound, she had eased herself away from the edge of the dumpster, waiting for him to pass her and quickly thinking of what she should do. She saw the tip of the gun travel past the face of the dumpster before the hand that was attached to it and then finally the arm. Thinking quickly, she had called on her time in self defense classes, kicking upward with her foot, she knocked the gun out of his hands. Before he could react she turned and swiped his feet out from under him, before running like hell down the alley, trying to get back to the main road so she could call for help.

*End Flashback*

She stared at the mirror once more, resurfacing from her thoughts. She shuddered, remembering how she could hear the man panting as he chased after her. Her only thoughts at the time were to get away from him, to survive and tell someone about the horror that she had just witnessed. She was pretty sure he had stopped chasing her once she had reached the main roads, but she hadn't stopped running until she was in front of the reception desk at Tokyo's Police Department Headquarters.

The older looking officer with slightly gray hair had taken one look at her and immediately put down the phone he was talking on with a quick, "I'll call you back." Standing up, he rounded the desk and had guided her back to where the other rows of desks were located. Seeing the bustling of armed officers around her Sakura had been able to relax slightly, recounting her story to the older gentlemen.

They had placed a blanket around her shoulders, and had told her that if she started to feel cold or ill that she should notify someone immediately, just in case she started to go into shock. She then waited, for what seemed like hours, before the first detective had come to see her. She was asked to wait before another detective, followed later by yet another detective, had come to question her. Each time recounting her tale, feeling as if it was still happening each time she told the story.

Finally she had asked if she could call someone, and then use the bathroom. They kindly guided her to the phone and waited while she called her best friend who was practically her sister, Tomoyo. The girl had listened to her story and then had uttered a quick, "stay right where you are, Eriol and I are coming down there right now to get you."

Hanging up, she was escorted to the bathroom where she now stood, unsure of what she should do from here on. The light flickered once more and this time she couldn't bite back the huff of irritation and decided that it was time to leave the dark and rather beat up looking restroom. Opening the door to the bright lights in the hallway, she nodded at the officer standing outside of the door. Walking back to the sitting area, Sakura heard a relieved sigh before warm arms enfolded her.

Comfort immediately washing through her body, Sakura turned into the soft embrace of her best friend, and fought back the rush of tears that threatened to overtake her. "Tomoyo, I'm so glad you're here." Pulling her friends tighter, she buried her face into the slender neck of her friend, taking comfort in the fact that someone cared for her.

She could hear a soft murmur as Tomoyo spoke quickly with Eriol, her fiancée, "Eriol, please, for me, I need you to make sure that she's safe. I need you to make sure that you get someone that you trust to protect her." Eriol was one of the elite investigators that worked at Tokyo's police department.

Looking at the love of his life, he responded in hushed tones, "Don't worry. It's already taken care of. Syaoran is going to look after her, though he doesn't know it quite yet. I have a feeling that I'm going to owe some big favors once this is all said and done."

Sakura wondered who this Syaoran was, never having heard him mentioned before even though the three of them spent most of their time hanging out. But Sakura could feel some of the tension ease from Tomoyo's body, and knew that whoever this person was, it brought her friend comfort knowing he would be there to watch over Sakura.

Pulling back slightly, she muttered, "Really Eriol, you don't have to go out of your way for me. The police here already said that they would have someone assigned to keep an eye on me just in case this guy comes looking. I don't want you to strain yourself." She ignored Tomoyo's indignant huff, instead she gazed into her friends violet orbs, "Please, Tomoyo. I really don't want you to go through all of this trouble for me."

Tomoyo hardened her gaze, "Sakura, you're my family. And I know damn well that I'm the only family you've got, so you're going to let me take care of you, and if that means that Eriol pulls out all the stops on making sure that you're safe from this psycho, then I'm going to do it. And you're going to let me, do I make myself clear?" At Sakura's reluctant nod, her gaze softened, "Now how about we get you something to eat. You look starved and exhausted. Syaoran will meet us later at Eriol's house." Pulling the tired girl's hand, Tomoyo led the way out of the station, knowing that Eriol was there with them to make sure they were safe should anything happen while they travelled home.

In the car on the ride to Eriol's home, he looked in the rearview mirror watching as his raven haired fiancée comforted her best friend. Shaking his head, Eriol felt a tickle of nervousness in his gut, his instinct was telling him that there was something more to this than any of them were ready for, and his instinct was rarely wrong.

Decided to deal with those insecurities later, he turned off the highway onto the secluded side road leading to his home. Pulling into the drive he noticed that his cousin's car was already parked, assuming that the butler had let him in, he parked and got out, helping the girls out behind him. Escorting them up the stairs and into the entry, he nodded at his butler and let Tomoyo take Sakura to go get cleaned up.

Walking into his living room he saw the figure sitting by himself of the couch, "Hey Syaoran, it's been awhile. How are you doing?" Syaoran stood and walked over to his cousin, giving him a firm handshake.

"It's been going alright, work has been a mess with this new case we're working but otherwise it's same old same old. What is it that you called me out here for; all I got on the phone was that it was urgent." Leave it to Syaoran to get right to the point, grimacing, Eriol tried to find a way to phrase his request so that his cousin wouldn't outright say no.

"Here's the thing, a friend needs your help." At his raised eyebrow, Eriol continued, "She was attacked today after witnessing a murder. A murder where the woman was undercover, her name was Maria Wong. She was working as an exchange agent for one of the major crime boss's around here; nobody knows who because she was never able to fully disclose that information. Anyways, Sakura, the girl who was attacked, witnessed her murder, got an I.D. on the guy, and we're afraid they might come for her."

Nodding his head, Syaoran spoke, "I knew Maria, she was undercover on the case I'm working now. I didn't know she was murdered, I hope it was at least quick and peaceful. But what does this have to do with me?"

Eriol paused, waiting for his reaction, "I need you to protect her."

"No." Shaking his head Syaoran replied, "I can't do that. There's too much going on, how am I supposed to look after a girl when I've already got the entire downtown department calling for blood about leaks in the system? This crime boss we're trying to take down is dangerous, Eriol, she doesn't need me, she needs to go into witness protection."

Thinking quickly, Eriol brought up a point that he knew his cousin couldn't dispute and that he knew Tomoyo would kill him for if she ever found out. "If the girl is somebody they want, then it's likely they'll come for her, so if you are protecting her that puts you in a direct line to take these guys out."

"Eriol, that might work, but how do you know that I'll have a chance to do anything about it with some girl slowing me down?" He was going to say more but was interrupted by his cousin's fiancée and some girl he had never met as they entered the living room to join them.

Tomoyo brightened seeing Syaoran, "Li-san, how are you? It's been too long since I've seen you." Smiling warmly she embraced the rather stiff looking cop, "Will you please have dinner with us? It would be so nice of you!"

Syaoran gave a small grin, "Tomoyo, how many times do I have to tell you, call me Syaoran. Li-san makes me feel like my father."

Tomoyo giggled quietly before turning to Sakura who was standing awkwardly in the corner, "Syaoran, this is Kinomoto Sakura, my friend that Eriol was telling you about," Giving him a pointed look that clearly said 'you'd better take care of her or I _will_ kill you,' "Sakura, this is Li Syaoran, the man who will be protecting you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Li-san. I'm sorry for you to go through all this trouble for me." Keeping her eyes downcast she reached her hand out to him to shake.

He took her small hand gently with his and was startled by the slight jolt of attraction he felt, "Pleasure's mine." Saying nothing more, he withdrew his hand, wondering if she had felt it too. He looked at her small form, feeling an unexpected rush of protectiveness towards the girl, a feeling which he didn't appreciate in the slightest. He was supposed to be Downtown Tokyo's most hardened and hardassed detective, to have this girl unknowingly affect him was strange.

Looking up at the man before her Sakura gasped as her emerald eyes met the slightly cold amber ones of the detective who was supposed to protect her. "If you don't mind, could you please explain to me what needs to be done?"

Nodding slightly, Syaoran gestured for her to sit on the couch so he could explain the new precautions she would have to take as well as certain things she would have to pick up in order to make her a bit more protected. Tomoyo and Eriol left the room to give them some privacy, as well as to set about making dinner.

~*~*~*~*~*~

A few hours later, they were all seated around the dining table having just finished their meals, talking and making jokes with each other. Syaoran relished the feeling of family and wondered what it would be like for this to be a consistent occurrence. Leaning back in his chair, he glanced at the emerald-eyed beauty that he couldn't seem to get out of his head. He didn't know when she had implanted herself into his mind, but he couldn't stop certain thoughts from circulating in his mind, his curiosity piqued as he learned her personality more and more. She seemed to be a very kind-hearted, if slightly shell-shocked, girl who put the needs of others first, but he could sense within her a dormant fierceness which he felt he would be privileged to see in action.

Standing up to clear the table, Tomoyo and Eriol retreated to the kitchen, leaving Syaoran and Sakura alone. The girl stood and smiled slightly at the cop before reentering the living room and collapsing on the couch in a heap of exhaustion. He followed her, curious to know what she was thinking, even though he had no business asking anything about her, she was his charge for Christ sake, he shouldn't be feeling this attraction towards her. Besides, in comparison she was just a child to his 24 years of life, she was naive where he was hardened to the ways of the world after seeing countless gruesome murders and sights that made a normal person faint. She opened her heart to the world where he closed his in order for him maintain his sanity as well as to make sure that nobody could find a way to hurt him. Shaking his head he walked around the couch to stand before the window.

She stood and walked over to him, "My life will never be the same, will it?" She had asked it as a question, but he knew that she needed no answer but was simply voicing her thoughts. "And here I thought my life was mundane," giving a forced laugh she shook her head ruefully. "Thank you for helping me, even though you really don't need to. Tomoyo and Eriol overreact a lot."

Not replying to her, his eyes narrowed as he watched something approach the driveway at a rapid speed. A sinking feeling in his gut he barely had time to react before yelling, "Get down!" Pulling the startled girl to the floor underneath him, he covered her as the glass from the window shattered above them raining pieces over their tense forms. He heard the rapid 'rata tat tat tat' of an automatic rifle and waited until the noise ceased, indicating that they were reloading. Pulling himself up quickly he started firing shots from his pistol out the broken window into the drive where the men on sleek black bikes were getting ready to take off.

Seeing them pull away and knowing that chasing them or firing at them would be useless, he helped the stunned girl to her feet. Making sure she wasn't going to faint or fall over he turned at the quick entry of his cousin and his fiancée who hurried over to them to make sure they were alright, not caring that their living room had just been destroyed.

Syaoran glanced at Eriol, and sighed, "This could be more important than I thought," he conceded. "It looks like Sakura is now officially somebody's number 1 enemy."

Replacing his gun in his holster, he went to make a quick phone call to the police department and wondered what he was going to do about the beautiful girl standing shocked in the living room.

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Hopefully you liked it!!!! Tell me what you think PLEASE! Reviewwwww!

-Eboni


	2. Chapter 2

A/N I would like to say a few words…..This story…will have mature content in it, there will be gore…there will be death…and there will be sex…so…please…if you resent any of these topics don't read this. I'm warning you….I'm not kidding…

On a brighter note….THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THOSE OF YOU THAT REVIEWED..THEY MAKE ME FEEL ALL BUBBLY INSIDE!

Enjoy!

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"Did you get a look at the girl?" The voice crackled from over the phone, causing the listener to nod his head furiously before realizing that he couldn't be seen.

"Ya, boss. Really pretty little thing. Just a kid." He listened to the line and gulped as he heard the faint sounds of pleading and begging in the background. He heard as a gun was cocked.

"Good. You know what to do, Leo. Don't forget, I don't forgive failure." On this last syllable, Leo heard the gun as it went off followed by the distinct 'thud' thay only a body can make while hitting the floor.

"Y-yes, boss."

"Oh, and make sure that the girl gets our gift. I do hope she enjoys it." With those final words the line went dead in Leo's hands. Shakily putting the phone away, he tipped his glasses back down over his eyes and ran a shaky hand through his short reddish hair, wondering what the hell he had gotten himself into. Stepping back up to his bike, he threw the kickstand back with his foot and revved the engine before taking off down the highway, eager to be done with this whole situation.

*Other side of the phone*

The man in the pressed black suit stepped over the body that was quickly pooling blood at his feet. He sighed in disgust, sometimes he wondered how all the stupid goons came to him. Cleaning the butt of the gun with a pristine white cloth he turned to his assistant.

"Make sure the body is dumped. I want him to be unrecognizable, got it?" His assistant nodded once. There wouldn't be much more to take care of, he knew, because he shot the bastard point blank. The force of the blow had already taken out half of his face. Poor Marcus, he wouldn't ever get to see his pretty little wife give birth to their first child, smirking to himself, the man decided he would send her a nice card expressing his condolences for her husband's untimely disappearance.

Stepping out of the plain looking room that now reeked of blood and urine; he took a deep breath of fresh air. Plastering a smile onto his face he stepped out into the light into the waiting limo, he had work to get back to.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Eriol, help Sakura to the car. I'll be there shortly to take her home." Syaoran stepped back into the kitchen, checking his gun and phone, making sure were both ready to use in case of emergency. He could have checked them there in front of Sakura, but he didn't want to frighten her more than she already was and seeing him armed and ready to go might have been the last stone on the pile before she completely crumbled.

Readying himself, he left the house through the front door and rounded the driveway to where Eriol was reassuring the startled 19-year old. Smiling and nodding at Eriol, he walked to the driver's side and slid in behind the wheel. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself for however long this was going take before the girl was safe again.

When Sakura finished saying her goodbyes she rested back against the cushy seat and closed her eyes. She felt as Syaoran pulled out of the driveway and back onto the highway, waiting a couple minutes she couldn't stand the silence anymore. It left her to her thoughts far too much.

"Nice, car." She mumbled and glanced quickly over at him to see the quick grin that crossed his features.

"Thanks, she does me well." Patting the dashboard of his Challenger, it was fast and sleek, his kind of car.

"It doesn't seem like you could afford it on a cop's salary." The words were out before she could stop them, she took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, that was rude."

He chuckled a little bit, "That's okay. I don't afford it on a cop's salary. My family has been around for centuries, I was born in Hong Kong. My father was a cop and transferred over here as a liaison for the Tokyo Department on drug lords and the mob. I moved with him." He smiled a bit ruefully, "He died a few years back in a bust that went bad. Anyways, my family has a lot of money and now that he's gone I inherited all of it."

She smiled as he talked about himself, he seemed to be so quiet on the outside and she didn't know why he was opening up to her, but she thought it was nice. His voice danced over her skin and soothed her rattled nerves. "Why did you decide to be a cop when you don't have to? Why not do something else and live off your inheritance?"

He looked at her for a long moment, "I didn't want to be one of those people who sit around with their thumbs up their ass just because they have money. I decided I wanted to stop people from hurting other people, and what better way to do that than becoming a cop? I just get to live more comfortably than most." He wondered why he was suddenly so chatty; normally he was quiet and reserved and only said what was necessary. He chalked it up to the fact that she was traumatized and he was just trying to help her out, to keep her calm…yeah, right.

"This is my turn." Pulling off the highway onto one of the little exits that led to a town called Tomoeda, Syaoran took inventory of his surroundings, being sure to be positive they weren't followed. Certain that they weren't being tailed; he began the random seemingly aimless turns that twisted their way through the quaint housing district. He could tell that there was money here, a lot of it, for the houses he was driving through weren't small, but they weren't huge either.

"I know what you mean, about not wanting to sit around doing nothing. Mom and Dad died when I was six, they left housekeepers and nannies to raise me until I was old enough to figure out that I didn't want to be pampered and taken care of. I want to help people too, if I could only figure out what I wanted to do." She was looking out the window at the homes that passed by, recounting all of her memories that she held here. Her reality now was very very different from what it was that morning, compared to now, those memories seemed to be too bright for her, too pure against the violence that she had witnessed and the jaded view that she now carried with her.

Startled, Syaoran glanced over at her, "You didn't tell me that you weren't living with family. Do you live alone?" At her nod, he sighed, "Try and get a friend to come stay with you, being in a house all by yourself isn't ideal in this situation."

Pulling off into the indicated driveway, he parked his car and got out, following her up the front steps and after unlocking the door, into the entryway. Syaoran looked at her, "I'm going to have a look around and see what I can do to make it more secure, why don't you go change?" He suggested changing because sometimes it helped to change into clothes that didn't carry the memories.

She nodded and walked up the stairs leading to her bedroom as Syaoran moved towards the kitchen. Reaching the last step she felt a feeling of hesitancy, shaking her head she continued forward and saw that the door to her room was shut. _That's funny; I don't remember closing my door this morning._ In fact she was sure that she left her door open, her cat Kero needed to use the litter box so she never left it closed.

Swallowing down a feeling of sudden panic she reassured herself, _Kero probably just knocked it shut on accident, you know how much of a ditz that cat can be. _But still the feeling would not recede so, gathering her courage; she reached a shaking hand out to the knob. Steeling herself she twisted and pushed the door open.

The sight before her kept her feet rooted to the spot, unable to move, unable to scream, even though all she wanted to do was vomit. There, lying on her bed sprawled across the sheets was a young woman who could have been Sakura's twin. They shared the same waist length auburn hair, though the girl's was a few shades darker, and their facial features were so similar Sakura could have sworn she was looking at herself. The girl's throat had been slit crudely with a twisted ragged gash and her arms were tied behind her back at what looked to be a painful angle. The girl was naked, completely, from her dainty ankles to the slender curve of her mutilated neck with bruises across her porcelain looking skin, indicated that she had been abused before they finally killed her.

Through all of this she felt sympathy and compassion for the corpse resting on her bed, wishing there was something she could do to turn back time and take away this girl's misery. However, when she looked at the pale pink wall above her bed, her blood ran cold. The icy spike of fear shooting through her as she read the words painting thickly with oozing strokes of blood upon her wall, _Like what you See? _She gasped for breath, unable to call out for the handsome cop wandering the floor below her, nor able to back away from the ghastly sight in front of her.

Syaoran climbed the stairs quickly, looking for Sakura, "The lock on the sliding glass door has been pick-" cutting off sharply he saw the girl standing rooted to the spot outside of her bedroom door, looking even paler than she was naturally. Unable to see what she was looking at from this angle he briskly walked down the hallway drawing his gun as he neared the trembling girl. Glancing inside the room he stopped and took a deep breath before putting his gun away.

Turning he enveloped the girl into his arms, pulling her close as she seemed to crumble and fall apart, clinging to his shirt with a death grip and sobbing uncontrollably. She was shaking her head and every now and then he could make out a word, 'no' and 'why me' as well as 'poor girl.' Keeping her close to him he felt his heart tug, wishing he could take it all away, all the fear and death. He didn't have time to wonder about his sudden connection with this young woman as he pulled out his cell and quickly dialed for the police to come out to the house. He gave a brief rundown of the scene to the captain of homicide before flipping the phone closed and replacing it in his pocket. Seeing that Sakura was in no shape to walk he leaned down and gathered her in his arms, her hands clasped behind his neck as his arms cradled her back and legs.

He walked down into the living room and gently placed her on the couch, but as he tried to pull away her grip on his shirt tightened. Not seeing her let go of him anytime soon he folded himself onto the couch next to her, situating her body between his legs and once more winding his arms around her, comforting the young girl as she sobbed and cried.

By the time the red and blue lights started flashing in the front window of her living room; Sakura stopped crying and instead clung to Syaoran with all her might. She could smell his clean scent, pine and musk, and felt his muscled body as it cradled her in its arms. These feelings, of comfort and safety, were the only two things keeping her sanity intact. She lifted her head from the crook of his neck as the first police officer knocked on her door, quietly getting up she let the detective go answer it, bringing the groups of investigators into her home. Indicating that the body was upstairs on her bed, she resolved herself to answer their questions while Li was guiding the policemen up the stairs.

She didn't have to answer questions for long however, as Syaoran came striding back down the stairs and faced the officer that was currently asking her about what she saw. The detective told about how they had just gotten home and saw the body before promptly informing the uniformed officer that they would be leaving as Sakura wasn't safe here and needed to be moved quickly to avoid putting her life in jeopardy.

Grasping Sakura's hand, Syaoran led the way back out to his car, which had somehow not been blocked in by police cruisers as the new arriving cops surrounded her home just in case anything else were to pop out at them. Helping her into the car, he then strode around the side and once more slid behind the wheel before gunning it out of the disturbed town.

Cruising along the highway, Sakura glanced over at him and asked quietly, "where are we going?"

Clenching his jaw, he fought back the wave of anger at watching this innocent girl being turned into a pile of nerves and fear, he responded, "My apartment. We'll be there soon, and you can get some rest."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

They had made it to the elevator without incident, as well as to the front door of his apartment. Placing the key in the lock and twisting, the detective took a quick survey of his apartment and after assuring himself that everything was as it should be, he pushed the girl in front of him and closed the door before dead bolting it shut.

He followed her into the spacious living room and watched her as she sat down wearily on his couch, "I'll be right back, I'm going to get you something to wear." She nodded at him as he quickly left the room and shortly returned with a large shirt and drawstring pants. "They'll be too big, but it's the best I can do."

"They'll be fine." Standing, she took the clothes from him and followed his directions to the bathroom where she could change, not once meeting his eyes. "I'll be right back."

He waited while she went to change and set water to boil for tea, hopefully it would help her relax, if not he would have to spike something for her and he'd rather not drug his charge on her first night in his home. He leaned against the counter and heard as the door opened down the hallway followed by the quiet padding of her bare feet on the carpet.

Reentering the living room she placed her neatly folded pile of clothes, "where am I going to sleep?"

"In my bed, I'll sleep on the couch. There's only one hallway leading to the bedroom so it will be easier to protect you in case something happens." She nodded at his words and quietly sat on his couch. "Come here, I made some tea for you." She stood and took the offered mug quietly and sipped it.

"Thank you." She stood there, the steaming mug in her hands, saying nothing more and not looking at him.

"Look at me, Sakura." When she refused he set his mug down and stepped towards her, tilting her chin up with his forefinger he met her emerald gaze and fought down every lustful urge the rose at the sight of her, "You will be okay. This will all turn out alright. Try not to let it affect you."

This was apparently the wrong thing to stay as she jerked her chin out of his grasp, "Well excuse me for being human." Tilting her chin up, "Let me just throw on a song and dance and forget completely about that poor girl dead in my room." Her eyes flashed with fury, and he rejoiced at seeing the passion return back to her, seeing her withdrawn and defeated tore at him more than anything, but he couldn't ignore her automatic sarcasm.

"This isn't a game Sakura. These people feed on pain; they feed off of fear and if you show that they've gotten to you it will only get worse. These people are mean, really mean, and very very serious about hurting you." He met her emerald gaze with his own amber eyes and watched as her emotions flared and played across her face.

She stared back at him, taking in the features of the man who had saved her life, who had held her while she fell apart, and who now felt like he was taunting her. She hadn't noticed just how tall he was, she knew he was larger than she was by the fact that his shirt she was wearing was like a sack on her and she had to roll up the bottoms of the pants in order to be able to walk, but she had to look up, way up, to meet his gaze as he was easily 6'4", maybe taller. He was also muscular, his muscles could be visibly seen through the thin shirt and she had no doubts that his jean clad legs held the same strength.

She took in his wide shoulders and narrow waist and hips followed by his chiseled clean-shaven square jaw. She studied his strong cheekbones and fierce chocolate eyes under a mop of unruly dark-brown hair. He was so _masculine_ compared the men she was used to seeing or the boys who would hit on her at school.

She rose to his challenge, "You think I don't _know_ that? That I didn't clearly see that woman die today? That I didn't see that poor girl's body lying on my bed? Who knows what they had to suffer through before they finally died? And better yet, do you think that I was completely somewhere else when I was chased through that alley or when somebody shot. At. Me? Do you?" She let her anger take over her, this was so unusual but she had kept it back all day, the anger that someone had changed her life forever without her consent. She stepped forward, crowding him, "I am taking this _very _seriously, Li." She spat his name like a curse, unable to keep herself in check.

Syaoran watched as she yelled at him, watched as she crowded his space, watched as she displayed all the fury that she was feeling. With every movement she made, he wanted more and more to take her into his arms and kiss the hell out of her. When she nearly shouted that last statement in his face he could take no more.

Roughly grabbing her shoulders he pulled her the rest of the way towards him and leaned down, capturing her lips in a fierce kiss, effectively cutting off her tirade. She stiffened against him for a brief moment before melting into his embrace, raising herself up to him. His hands slid down her arms to circle her waist and pull her completely against his form as her own arms wound their way up and around his neck to twine her fingers into his thick brown hair.

They stayed locked in their embrace, neither able to pull away, each kiss becoming more heated as time went on. Unable to get enough of her, he titled his head to get a better angle and slowly teased her lips open with his tongue before plunging his tongue inside her warm mouth and claiming it for his own. She responded in kind, dueling with him as she clung to him, feeling the play of his muscles against her form.

Finally she pulled back and blushed furiously, unable to meet his gaze she stuttered out a quick, "I'm really tired." Before nearly sprinting down the hallway to his room and slamming the door shut. She turned and pressed her back to the cool wood and slid down to the floor, her knees pulled to her chest. Touching her tingling lips lightly with her fingers she gave a sigh, _wow, what a first kiss!_ Giggling slightly she picked herself up and curled onto the mattress in the middle of his decidedly manly looking room. It was done in dark greens, green carpet, green bed spread, and chocolate walls. Burying her face in his pillow and smelling his scent, she relaxed, and wondered idly what would happen to her next.

Syaoran smirked down the hallway, not at all bothered by the fact that he felt something more for the young girl than he was willing to name at this point, but she most definitely would be the source of his curiosity for quite some time. His determination to see the innocent beauty safe increased tenfold when he realized that he truly cared for the girl and was resolved to see how far it would go between them.

Smiling, he sat down on the couch, ready to endure a long sleepless night of keeping watch over his new treasure, his cherry blossom.

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Haha…so…cranked this out all in one night….I hope you like it! Let me know! Review!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N I love you all! To those of you that reviewed, thank you so much for your support and encouragement. I'm sorry this took so long to get updated; I promise that I will finish this story however. Life just got the better of me for a few days, now I'm refocused.

Again…Thank you to my wonderful beta, who for all intents and purposes makes sure that I don't make stupid mistakes with my writing. Even though he can be a real jerk sometimes….love you!

Enjoy!

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Sakura woke slowly, feeling comfortable and warm and not quite ready to open her eyes. This quickly changed when she heard what sounded like the clanging of pots and pans followed by the delicious aroma of breakfast. Popping her eyes open she looked at the unfamiliar room curious before the previous day's events came rushing back to her. She suppressed a shudder as the gruesome images replayed themselves in her mind; the poor woman who was shot down and the mangled girl who was arranged on her bed.

Feeling bile rise in the back of her throat she quickly jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom across the short hallway. Slamming the door but not bothering to lock it, she dropped to her knees and began to dry heave over the innocent looking toilet bowl. It was only a few seconds before she felt fingers delicately pull her hair back from her face followed by a hand rubbing soothing circles on her back. She calmed somewhat as Syaoran made comforting noises while her stomach rebelled nothing but bile and air.

Once she felt she had finished she rested her head against the rim of the bowl, completely exhausted. Syaoran leaned forward and gathered her small frame into his arms before standing and walking out into the living area. Setting her down gently on the plush cushions of the cough he quickly placed a glass of water in her shaking hands. He still said nothing as he grabbed one of the plates of food and rested it on the table next to the unsteady girl.

After a few moments he spoke, "I know it sounds horrible, but you should eat," gesturing to the omelet. He handed her a fork and frowned only slightly when she made no move toward the plate next to her. "It gets easier." At her startled look he continued, "The memories, they get easier. With time. You'll always remember but you'll accept them and be able to handle them without much trouble."

She nodded her head once and picked up the plate. Her fork cut out the first pieces of the omelet and while she chewed he stood to grab his own breakfast. They ate in a comfortable silence, neither saying a word while mulling over their own thoughts.

"I can't get it out of my head." The statement was so quiet that Syaoran questioned if she had actually said anything. His question was answered when she continued, "the woman in the ally, she looked so defeated. Like she knew she was going to die. Then the girl on my bed, she could have been my twin. What kind of torture did she have to suffer through because of me? Did she know it was coming or was it unexpected?"

Sakura turned her tortured eyes to gaze directly into his amber ones. "I have a feeling that it isn't going to stop until they go away or…I'm dead."

Syaoran stood so quickly that if Sakura had blinked she would've missed the motion. In the next second he was crouched in front of her, staring her directly in the eye with his hands placed rigidly on her shoulders. "Don't you dare think like that. That kind of thinking only gets people killed." He shook her gently to emphasize his point before moving away. "That's exactly what he wants you to think. That's exactly what he wants you to feel, don't you see? It's his game; he plays it without regrets and no regard for the pain that he causes anyone. He's playing with you, toying with you so that he can see how far he pushes you before you break."

"You know this guy, don't you?" She looked at him intently, expecting the truth, wanting to know just how much her life had changed in just one short day. "Tell me what you know. Please, I have to know."

He hesitated for a moment, sighing softly as he moved to look out the window of the living room, observing the city of Tokyo and the bustling people moving about on the streets below. "I don't know his name. I don't know who he is, what he does in the normal world, or who he's related to. I only know what he does." Pausing once more he turned towards the girl on the couch, folding his arms across his broad chest he leaned against the wall beside the window.

"He has several…circles, you could say, that he runs. He started in money laundering, abusing the people who work for him and the residents of any street or part of the city that he might claim. He has quite a following in that field, mostly poor people who need some money to stay alive. There are a few that he holds in high regard, the ones who are so greedy that they have no qualms about hurting others to quench their lust for wealth. It's these few people who helped him move into the next circle, kidnapping. For awhile he would kidnap wealthy people or their children in order to ransom them for money, sometimes he simply used blackmail and on most occasions used both. He uses the person to get the money, and the blackmail to make sure that the cops aren't involved.

"It was only recently that he began his latest venture. He figured that if he could take people and ransom them for money, then why not just take them and sell them for a profit. We have leads and hints in at least 17 different countries where he gathers his victims. He pulls them off the streets, off of cruises, out of parties, wherever he finds someone who intrigues him. He holds them for awhile, keeping some for himself, torturing them and filming them while they're forced to do….detestable things. Then he releases the videos to bidders, who then return with an offer for the victims. We've found hundreds of bodies, all horrible beaten and abused, that were reported missing. Some of these people were missing for months, some for weeks, and others for days. They never last very long.

"The woman you saw in the alley was an undercover agent who infiltrated his system, gaining allies throughout the organization. She was trying to find a lead to the full identity of the man behind the system, but every lead she got only brought her to a dead end. Most of the I.D.'s were fake; most were for people who had died years ago. She knew that they were onto her, she had radioed in that she probably wouldn't make it past the end of the week. I guess she was right."

Syaoran lapsed into silence, lost once again within his own mind. Maria had been a good friend to him, loyal and confident; it was difficult to let her go. She had brought with her some very valuable information however, like there were leaks in the department which was why this guy always stayed one step ahead of them. Another was that she had recently acquired information that he was wealthy and well-known, but there were so many men out there in Tokyo who held these standards, but it was still a place to start.

Turning back to the silent girl on the couch, he noted how pale she had gotten. He had been meaning to impart with her the severity of the situation that she was in, but he had apparently overstepped that and had scared her.

Apologetically he smiled to her, "I didn't mean to frighten you, but do you see why it is so important that we keep you safe?" At her nod, he continued, "We should get you to school." He gestured to the pile of clothes that rested on the coffee table, "I hope you don't mind, but I washed them for you. I hope they're alright to go to school in, we can't return to your home for a few days, the police are still investigating it for clues."

"Thank you. These will be fine, I'll just go change." She stood and gathered the pile of cloth in her arms. As she walked by the strong and confident man to walk down the hallway she placed a light hand on his shoulder, "Thank you for telling me. Even if it is scary, I needed to know." Giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze she continued down the hall and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

He smiled lightly to himself and shook his head. That girl had an inner strength that he knew she would come to rely on in the next few days, he just hoped that he could intercept most of what would be coming her way. He had received a call before she had woken that morning from the chief about all the details gathered by forensics in her home. The girl that they had found was exactly Sakura's age and build, the only discrepancies between the two were that their shades of auburn hair were slightly different and while Sakura's eyes were a deep emerald, the victim's had been a bright blue. She had also been brutally tortured and raped prior to the wound across her neck that turned out to be fatal. He shook his head, he wouldn't tell Sakura this, she didn't need this added onto her already shattered life.

He quickly cleaned up their breakfast, placing the dishes in the sink he frowned noticing how little the girl had eaten, more than half of the omelet was still there. He wouldn't say anything about it just now but if she continued this way he would have to step in, she couldn't be starving herself now, there was too much at stake.

He was waiting by the front door when she emerged from the bathroom, her hair freshly brushed he could see little rivulets of water running down the side of her neck, presumably from when she had splashed herself while getting ready. He nodded once and carefully opened the door, before taking a peak into the hallway, seeing nothing suspicious he opened the door wider and motioned the girl out before locking the door behind them. Preceding her down the hallway they quickly made their way back to his car and once they were settled into the comfortable seats he said the one thing that he had been dreading.

"There will be no on to watch over you while you are school." Seeing her terrified look he continued, "I don't think he'll do anything while you're in such a public setting, the make sure that you stay near friends alright? I would assign an officer to you for the day, but that would mean filing paperwork, and there is a leak in the department so it's not safe. If I were to disclose your location at any time, he would have it in a heartbeat." Starting the engine he sped quickly down the street, "I would stay with you but I have to get back to the station to handle any backfire that Maria's death has caused. I also have to look into any of the leads that she's given us." Sakura nodded, still afraid but she knew that they didn't have much of a choice in the matter. She would not let this bastard ruin her life, she would go to school and act as if nothing happened, she couldn't let him win.

They lapsed into a tense silence, and after Sakura indicated for Syaoran to turn off the highway towards her university, he spoke up. "I have a phone for you. It's encrypted, so any call that you make can't be traced. Give no one this number. For my cell speed dial one and for my office at work speed dial two. Stay close to your friends, alright? If you're with a close group of people it's very unlikely that he'll try anything here."

He pulled up to the front of the building where her first class of the day was held and as she moved out of the car he said one last statement, "If there is anything, and I mean anything, out of the ordinary call me right away and I'll be here as quickly as I can alright?" She nodded and closed the door firmly behind her.

She stared up at the building before her before quickly going inside and she listened as Li sped off down the road. With his calming presence gone, the dread that had been hovering just beneath the surface made itself known and spread through her body. She had a really bad feeling about this. Sighing she turned into her classroom and settled herself among the other students, prepared to act cheery and carefree like she was normally.

It was only a few moments into the class when there was a knock on the door, confused the Professor opened the door and she looked down the hallway. Seeing nothing she was about to move back inside when she noticed a small wrapped package resting on the floor. Crouching down she picked it up and read the tag attach to the bright red bow wrapped around the small box. Turning back to the room she quickly dropped the small package on Sakura's desk with an irritated sigh; she hated it when her class was interrupted for such trivial things.

Sakura stared at the harmless looking box lying on her box, terror unfurling in her belly as her friends looked at her quizzically wondering why she wasn't opening the package excitedly. She studied it, it was a simply white wrapping with a bright red bow tied around it, the writing on the card was a fluid cursive, and if Sakura wasn't so terrified she would have thought it was beautiful. She reached trembling fingers out and picked it up, taking a deep breath she untied the ribbon and watched as it fell to the desk. Replacing the box on the desk she removed the lid and fought the urge to vomit, she felt dizzy as she placed the lid on the desk next to the box. She stood quickly and had to lean heavily against the chair as she struggled to get away from the box in front of her.

She turned away from it and the prying stares of her classmates before whipping out the phone that Syaoran had given her and pressing the key to speed dial his cell phone. After a few rings there came a gruff, "Hello?"

"S-Syaoran. There's…It's a…" Unable to finish her sentence she took in deep gulps of air before whispering fiercely, "Please…come get me fast."

She heard a quick, "I'm on my way." And then the dial tone was all that reached her ears as she moved to the back wall of the class where she leaned heavily against it and slid to the ground, wrapping her arms around her knees, rocking back and forth. It was moment before any of the other students peered into the box that had so greatly upset their classmate and the first to do so promptly ran out of the room. The professor quickly asked the students to leave the classroom and wait in the hall until the proper authorities could be called, however when she tried to move the traumatized girl sitting in the back of the classroom she refused to budge. Giving up, the woman also excused herself from the room, leaving Sakura to herself and the quiet sobs being wracked from her little body.

It was a half hour that felt like an eternity before Syaoran arrived, her only clue being the quiet opening and closing of the door followed by the soft patter of footsteps. The halted briefly at what Sakura assumed was her desk with the box, still open, resting upon it. She heard a soft sigh before warm arms encircled her and she gave in, throwing her arms about Syaoran's neck and pressing her face into his warm solid chest, taking comfort from his powerful presence.

Syaoran had broken just about every traffic law in getting here, anxious and worried for his charge that he had so foolishly left alone. He told himself that this wouldn't happen again until this thing was over, regardless of the fact that she had classes to attend, she would not be let out of his sight even for a moment. He had parked his car awkwardly in front of the building and jumped out before his engine had fully died and raced up the steps into the front entryway. He didn't have to ask where the class was located for he saw the gathering of sick looking students outside of one of the doors. Not pausing to talk to the woman who was obviously the professor by the way she was dressed, he quietly opened the door and let himself inside.

The first thing he noticed was the box lying on the desk before his eyes found the desolate form of Sakura rocking back and forth against the back wall of the room. He quickly walked forward and peered at the contents of the box. Seeing the slimy looking form of a tongue he took note of how there was blood pooled about the removed appendage, indicated that it had been taken and immediately placed within the box. Telling himself that he would deal with that later he quickly moved to take the young girl into his arms, hoping to bring comfort to the shell-shocked girl.

If this had happened to him he would've been able to handle it, but for an innocent to be exposed to so much so quickly it definitely took its toll. When she loosened herself out of her personal ball and wrapped herself around him he made soft cooing noises, trying to get her to calm down, each sob that was torn from her lips was like a dagger to his heart. He wished he could take away her pain, her memory of this happening, but knowing he could not he simply offered the comfort that she so desperately needed.

When she finally stilled he looked down to see that she was sleeping soundly in his arms, smiling a little bit to himself, he said to her sleeping form, "Let's get you out of here." Standing he carried her out of the room and through the crowd of curious students and out of the front doors of the building. He opened the passenger side door of his car and placed her gently in the seat before strapping her in. He could make out the distinct flashing blue and red lights approaching from a distance and soon the police would be here to take care of the mess currently resting on the girl's desk.

Pulling one of the students milling about the front of the building aside he asked quickly, "Do you know Kinomoto Sakura?" At the kids nod he asked, "When the police are done with the room inside can you grab her stuff? I know she wouldn't want to lose it but I can't leave her here and we have to get going."

The tall and rather skinny girl replied toothily, "Sure, not a problem. When she wakes up tell her that Chiharu has her stuff, ok?" At Syaoran's nod she giggled and walked into the now crowded area, intent on her mission to get her friend's things from the busy classroom.

When the official looking cars pulled up and parked, Syaoran gave them a quick rundown of what they would find in the classroom. He hadn't gotten the full story out of the girl but he could deduce that she had been sent the package in the middle of lecture, and was unprepared for the "gift" she found inside. After exchanging information Syaoran quickly asked the bland looking uniformed officer to see if there were any DNA matches in the database for the tongue, and if so put out a missing persons listing for them. They would have another body turning up shortly if this crime boss stayed true to form.

After receiving a curt affirmative from the officer, Syaoran rounded his car and got in, intent on returning home and reevaluating ways to keep this girl safe. It seems that this time this boss wasn't playing around and was intent upon seeing Sakura break and break quickly. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, he had no way of knowing when they would send their next surprise and he could only hope that he would be prepared when it happened. Who knew what would happen next? He glanced across the car to the passenger seat and smiled softly, Sakura's head rested against the window where little streams of light played across her face giving her a soft childlike look. His heart gave another unexpected pang at seeing her so open and vulnerable in her exhausted sleep.

He wanted to know why he was suddenly so attached to this girl; they had spoken very little to each other outside of the situation that she was in and had only spent a few hours at the most in each other's company. She wasn't his usual type, where before he had preferred tall and built she was small and dainty, completely the opposite of what he should want. But he couldn't deny the surge of lust that ran through him every time he looked at her, every time he held her in his arms: which he had been doing a lot lately. He shook his head, now was not the time to be thinking about this, just like now was not the time to get a hardcore crush on somebody, especially when that person was someone that you're supposed to protect.

He would have to give Eriol a call and ask a few questions about the young woman next to him such as why she would be such a threat to this organization and why they were doing everything in their power to watch her squirm. He gritted his teeth and prayed that he would be able to take these bastards down and fast, before Sakura lost faith in humanity all together.

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The man dressed in the expensive looking pressed blue suit chuckled to himself, watching on the television placed before him the video of the attractive looking girl as she opened his latest gift. This was way too much fun, he hadn't been this into his work in a very long while; the unsuspecting victims he often abducted were too easy. Rewinding the tape once more he watched at the girl put the lid to the box down as if it were poison and then backing away from the desk, a look of terror on her face. Only this morning had he decided on a definite course of action for the girl, initially he had wanted to kill her but after seeing how she just wouldn't give up he had changed his mind. First, she had gone to the police when most girls would want to put the event behind them and pretend like it never happened. Second, instead of letting herself be swept away by the complicated system of the witness protection program run by the compromised and faulty police she had allowed her friends to get her a body guard, who surprisingly, was the one cop that he just couldn't shake.

Li Syaoran was a royal pain in his ass who refused to simply fall into every trap set for him and just die. The man growled angrily, several times the cop had come very close to finding out the man's identity and the only reason the man had come out unscathed was from the very fact that he had a snitch in the cop's department. It was only through this that he stayed one step ahead of the determined detective.

Turning his thoughts back to the emerald-eyed beauty that he was tormenting he grinned cruelly. Even after all that he had she still had the nerve to show her face at the university when most girls would hide in a hole and weep for hours on end. Oh this would be so much fun! Grinning he rewound the tape and watch the girl, this time focusing on her gorgeous body that he would soon sink his teeth into.

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Sakura stared at the ceiling in Syaoran's room, so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear the hushed conversation that he was having with someone on the phone or the television as it was clicked on and the channels were changed. She didn't hear when Syaoran came in to check on her and didn't bother to respond when he asked if she was alright, clearly she was not. What a stupid question.

In the last hour or so her thoughts had made an abrupt turn, from scared and fearing for her life to pissed off and agitated. She had always been a gentle soul, one who cared and nurtured others so that they could see the beauty in themselves and those around them. Sure there were times when her temper got the better of her and she would shout or yell in frustration, but it had always been at something menial and unimportant. This was the first time she had ever felt true anger and hate towards another being.

She was tired of crying, tired of being scared, and most of all tired of relying on others to take care of her life for her. While she admitted, especially after the events that had transpired that day, that their worry and concern was warranted, she still couldn't help but feel frustrated and upset at how helpless she had let herself be perceived as. Nodding once to herself in the slowly darkening room she told herself that this would be no more, she would make her own decisions and refuse to be cowed by some stupid man who wanted to hurt the world.

Sitting up on the bed she wiped a hand across her tired face, she had been thinking for hours after returning from her class. She had awoken on the bed and had proceeded to cry silently to herself, mourning the pain that this man had inflicted upon other people just to scared her, just to make her live in fear. She would not let him win, she would not let those people deaths go unpunished, even if it was a small victory that only she would know about. She would still be scared, but her fear was gone and her resolve to live her life was strengthened.

Sliding off the bed and onto her feet she looked around the room before tugging on her top pulling it back down into place over her flat stomach and adjusting the jeans that had been tugged down in her tossing and turning. Taking a deep breath she strode to the door and opened it before entering the hallway and walking into the living room. Looking around she couldn't find Syaoran and shrugged to herself, unconcerned. Perching herself on the couch she decided she would wait until he decided to turn up instead of simply rummaging around his apartment.

After a few moments her stomach gave a loud grumble and she wished that he would hurry up and get out here, she was hungry. She had eaten very little at breakfast that morning and that was more than half the day ago leaving her starving and feeling like she wanted to eat a cow. Sighing and settling more comfortably into the couch she once again thought about simply ransacking his cupboards for food, rude or not.

She heard a door open and close down the hall, _finally! Time for food!_ Moving to stand she glanced up and froze. There was Syaoran, completely oblivious to her presence, walking into the kitchen wearing nothing but a towel. Sakura gulped and tried not to stare as the kitchen was in her direct line of vision trying desperately to avert her gaze to anything else but no matter how hard she tried her vision was drawn like a magnet to his half-naked body. Giving up she studied him, and tried not to drool, taking in his wide-set shoulders and broad back that was slightly muscled and watching as the tendons and muscles bunched and contracted with every movement he made. He turned slightly and Sakura got a glimpse of a broad and toned chest that led down to washboard abs and, Sakura gulped again, a light dusting trail of hard that led from his navel to the towel that was wrapped low on his narrow hips.

His lightly tanned skin stood out against the white towel around his hips and before her thoughts could turn to something vulgar she cleared her throat, alerting him to her presence. Instead of a startled jump that she was expecting in reaction she received an even bigger view of his chest and a teasing smirk. He _knew_ she was staring at him!

She stood quickly and crossed over into the kitchen, ready to scold him, "You know it's indecent to traipse around the house in nothing but a towel!" She looked at him pointedly, causing his grin to widen, "stop making fun of me!"

He laughed inwardly at the whiny pitch that her voice had taken. It was nice to see her actually speak and act somewhat normally for once, "It's my apartment, Sakura. I can traipse around it any way I like." Seeing her blush he couldn't help but tease her, taking a step towards her and crowding her space, he continued, "Besides, you weren't complaining while you were ogling me."

"I-I was not! More like glaring." Crossing her arms she stared at him and huffed, "You're arrogant!" He outright laughed at her attempt at an insult and she got even more indignant. "Will you _stop_ making fun of me? I don't find it very funny! And get that smirk off of your face!" He continued to laugh at her finding it impossible to take her seriously when she was so much smaller than he, looking ruffled from sleep and almost kid like in her frustration.

He repeated himself, "It's my apartment, Sakura. I can smirk all I want, I live here." He watched as she stomped her foot, actually stomped her foot, as she fumed at him. He continued laughing to himself, finding it highly amusing when she was irritated, the flush that came over her cheeks was one of the most attractive things he had ever seen. "Unless you can make me stop smirking," he said it to tease, not expecting anything more than a quick retort from the innocent girl.

What he got however, was an armful of Sakura as she launched herself at him claiming his lips in a kiss. Surprised he wrapped his arms around her small form to steady them before responding passionately her ministrations. She wrapped her arms around his neck, threading her fingers in his thick chocolate hair before pressing herself firmly against him, feeling his built form against hers. He leant over to bring himself more comfortably to her height in order to deepen the kiss, tilting his head slightly he sought entrance to her mouth by tracing his tongue along the seam of her lips. After a second they opened hesitantly and he plunged his tongue into her warm mouth as he brought one of his hands up and tangled it in the hair at the nape of her neck.

Finding it uncomfortable to be bent over he used his other arm and grasped her tightly around her middle and lifted her, setting her gently on the counter next to them. Instinctively she parted her thighs so that Syaoran could stand between them and once again mold their bodies together as their tongues dueled for dominance. Finally giving in, Sakura let Syaoran take control of the kiss, pressing firmly against her, his one hand grasping her hair and the other tracing along her side, memorizing her form.

He wanted her, gods he wanted her, but not like this, not when she was under so much stress and pressure. He didn't know if she instigated this because she was looking for an outlet or because she actually wanted _him_. It would have to wait until this whole thing was over before he would allow himself to pursue anything more than this; kissing and groping her were as far as he was willing to go without knowing her true feelings in the matter. Sighing internally he pulled away, leaving small kisses to her bruised lips before resting his forehead against her own, eyes closed as he tried to calm his breathing.

She didn't seem deterred or put out by his sudden withdrawal and said cheekily, "So does this count as my first kiss, or the one last night?" She laughed outright at his startled expression as he pulled back to look her in the eye. Under his scrutiny, she fidgeted, "So what? It was my first kiss; I just want to know which one is the one that counts." Smiling innocently she pushed him gently away and hopped off the counter, "While you're busy thinking about that….FEED ME!"

As if on cue her stomach grumbled loudly as her face shifted into an adorable pout. Unable to resist Syaoran leaned in and placed a small chaste kiss on her lips before chuckling, "Let's go out. I don't feel like cooking and if we stay here all the time you're going to go stir crazy."

Seeing her eyes light up with childish enthusiasm he continued to chuckle to himself as she sprinted down the hall to change. Like he knew she would she came back out into the hall and was about to say something when he gestured to the inconspicuous looking bag lying on the outside of his bedroom door. Turning she looked inside finding the dark coal grey dress slacks and red silk dress top that he had had one of the officers pick up from her house earlier that day. She mouthed a quick 'thank you' before darting back into the room and closing the door loudly behind her.

Sighing to himself he waited for her to sprint across the hall and into the bathroom so that he could change. Pulling on dark black slacks and a forest green button up collared shirt he thought over where he should take her, thinking hard he didn't noticed as she peeked in the room to watch him get ready. The glimpses of tanned flesh too much for her to resist, especially after the moment they had just shared in the kitchen. Seeing that he was almost finished she quickly moved down the hallway back into the living room, determined not to be caught staring. Sitting on the couch she started to pull on the heels that had accompanied her clothes in the bag, waiting for him to make his way out of the room so they could leave.

She really shouldn't be this excited over something so trivial and common, but at this point it would feel nice to go out and act normally. While it would do nothing to solve her problems or even begin to put her life to rights again she couldn't help but feel that this little act of normalcy would do her a world of good. Smiling to herself, she greeted Syaoran as he made his way toward her, looking sexy as hell in his black pants and dark green shirt. She stood and he preceded her out the door, _hopefully I won't make a fool of myself._ She had butterflies zooming around in her stomach, unable to shake the feeling that this was some sort of unspoken date.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Thank you all to my wonderful readers! You're amazing. Once again a thanks to my beta….who I swear is going to get kicked if he doesn't stop making fun of me! Hahah…I hope you enjoyed it! Have a lovely day/evening/night….^_^

From the Beta: Enjoy this shit. She made me do a lot of work on this one.


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